Peter Walzer

Practice Areas

Family Law

Career

Peter M. Walzer is the founding partner of the Southern California law firm Walzer Melcher LLP, a practice focused exclusively on family law with offices in Woodland Hills.

Peter handles multifaceted and contentious divorce cases. He skillfully negotiates marital agreements. His cases involve people with “out of the ordinary” personal and financial issues. Many of the matters that he handles involve cases where one of the parties lives in another state or country.

His clients include entertainers, business owners, inventors, entrepreneurs, real estate investors, athletes, and financiers.

Peter is an extraordinary leader. He served as president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (2018-2019), an organization consisting of 1650 preeminent family lawyers in the United States. He is the past chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Family Law Section, a past president of the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and former chair of the executive committee of the State Bar Family Law Section.

Peter is the leading expert in his field. Peter has been a Certified Family Law Specialist for 34 years and is a former president of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. He is a former member of the Council of the American Bar Association Family Law Section.

Peter is a trailblazer. He was a member of the Elkins Family Law Task Force, a statewide panel which improved the efficiency and fairness of family law proceedings by recommending changes to legislation and court rules.

Peter sets a standard of excellence. Peter was named Family Law Person of the Year in 2009 by the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and Fellow of the Year by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2010. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubble. Peter received the Southwestern Law School Max A. Goodman Family Law Legacy Award on June 10, 2017. Chambers and Partners named him a “Leader in Their Field” and ranked him in Band 1 for their 2018-2021 High Net Worth Guide for Family Law.

Peter’s articles have been featured in various publications, including Los Angeles Lawyer, ABA Family Advocate, California Lawyer, LACBA News and Review, and State Bar Family Law Section Family Law News. He lectures regularly for the State Bar, UCLA, CEB, ACFLS, AAML, and various other organizations.

Professional Memberships

President, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2018-2019

President-Elect, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2017-2018

Vice-President, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2012- 2018

Chair, Los Angeles County Bar Family Law Section, 2015-2016

Co-chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee, American Bar Association Family Law Section, 2012-2013

Vice-President, U.S. Chapter, International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2010-2012

Appointed in 2008 to the Elkins Family Law Task Force

Board of Directors, Southern California Chapter, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, (2010-2011)

Fellow, International Academy of Family Lawyers

Publications

Daily Journal, “Paraprofessional Program: Problems and Proposals,” October, 11, 2021

AAML, “Financial Issues in Divorce: A Client Handbook”, December 7, 2020

ABA, “International Prenups: A World View”, November 1, 2020

Lexis Nexis, “Family Law: Challenges and Developments from an International Perspective”, June 30, 2020

Walzer Melcher, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Parenting Plan”, April 7, 2020

Daily Journal, “50 Years in Family Law: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same”, January 2020

LACBA Los Angeles Lawyer, “New Federal Law Eliminates the Alimony Deduction”, June 2018

California CPA, “Apportionment: Calculating Community Interest in Separate Property", October 2017

Pennsylvania Family Law, “The Tax Deductibility of Attorneys’ Fees in a Marital Dissolution”, June 2017

Family Law Advocate, “Premarital Agreements for Seniors”, Winter 2017

ABA Section of Family Law, “Premarital Agreements for Seniors”, co-authored with Jennifer M. Riemer, Family Law Quarterly, Volume 50, No. 1, Spring 2016

Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, “Wealth, Fame and Fortune: Navigating the Treacherous Waters of High Stakes Family Law Litigation”, Volume 26, No. 2, co-authored with Anthony D. Storm and Autumn Miley-Boland, 2014

Los Angeles Lawyer, “Closing Argument, The Gender Factor of Marriage of Factor”, May 2012